Advisers Expanding Existing Client Ties Drive Growth
BlackRock's 2026 Read on Retirement Plan Advisor Survey finds high-growth advisers relied more heavily on deepening existing client relationships.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Retirement Planning
BlackRock released its 2026 Read on Retirement Plan Advisor Survey on October 27, 2026. High-growth retirement plan advisers attributed nearly 30% of their historical growth to expanding existing client relationships, compared with 21% for other advisers.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that deepening relationships with current retirement plan clients may be a more significant growth lever than acquiring new business alone. For plan sponsors and participants, adviser client-retention patterns bear on the continuity of retirement plan services.
Advisers in the high-growth cohort reported 121% growth in DC assets under management from 2023 through 2025, compared with 28% for the rest of the market. The survey does not establish causation between client-relationship expansion and these gains.
The players
BlackRock
BlackRock is a global investment management firm that sponsored the 2026 Read on Retirement Plan Advisor Survey.
Escalent
Escalent is a research and analytics firm that conducted the online adviser surveys for the study.
The details
Escalent conducted the research through online surveys of more than 300 plan advisers across five channels, each advising at least $10 million in DC assets. Respondents were grouped into a high-growth cohort and the rest of the adviser market using four metrics: DC assets under management growth, DC revenue growth, new-plan acquisition and client retention.
Timeline
August 6 to 24, 2026: Escalent conducted online adviser surveys for BlackRock.
2023 through 2025: Period over which DC assets and revenue growth were reported.
October 27, 2026: BlackRock released the 2026 Read on Retirement Plan Advisor Survey.
Market Dynamics
The 2026 edition continues BlackRock's Read on Retirement Plan Advisor Survey series, which tracks how retirement plan advisers grow their books of business. This year's findings show high-growth advisers leaning more on existing client relationships than the rest of the market.
Plan participants whose advisers focus on retaining and deepening client relationships may experience more consistent service continuity over time. The survey does not address how these adviser strategies affect individual account balances or fees.
The takeaway
Retirement plan sponsors evaluating advisers may find client-retention track records a useful signal alongside growth figures. Participants can ask their advisers how they maintain long-term client relationships.
Further reading
For broader context on how these practices fit into retirement savings, see Retirement Planning coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by PLANADVISER.
